Heads are set to march alongside their students as the North East's colleges rise up in protest over cuts they say are "short-changing students".

Representatives of post-16 schools and colleges from across the country plan to rally at Parliament Square, Westminster, next Wednesday.

The march, described as "unprecedented" by the education unions who jointly organised it, will see heads and CEOs of major sixth form and further education colleges protest alongside teachers and students.

They will demand a 5% increase in funding for 16-19 education every year for five years, with more ring-fenced funding for increasing pay and reversing cuts they claim have amounted to a 30% reduction in funding over the last ten years.

They will also call for pupil premium, extra funding given to schools for economically disadvantaged students, is extended to cover those over the age of 16.

The campaign follows a report from the Institute of Fiscal Studies which claimed funding for students in school sixth forms and further education (FE) colleges has been “severely squeezed” since 2010.

The report said there had been an "almost complete lack of growth in spending on further education".

The Association of Colleges says this has meant fewer hours of teaching, a "drastic" reduction in learning opportunities for adults, and the value of staff pay falling by over 25% since 2009 - with college teachers earning £7,000 less on average than school teachers.

Among those marching next Wednesday from the North East will be representatives of East Durham College, New College Durham, Newcastle College, Newcastle Sixth Form College, Northumberland College, Sunderland College and Tyne Coast College.

Northumberland College principal Ian Clinton said: "The work of colleges to engage, support and develop the academic, vocational and personal skills of young people and mature students, as well as meet the needs of employers and the local community, cannot and should not be underestimated nor undervalued.

"Staff play a critical role in all students’ futures whether it be in a teaching, development or mentoring capacity, therefore securing sufficient funding is absolutely essential to enable them to provide the very best opportunities that our learners deserve.

"The present funding situation needs to drastically improve and the FE sector, especially here in the North East, is fully behind all positive changes."

Ian Clinton, principal of Northumberland College
Ian Clinton, principal of Northumberland College

Ellen Thinnesen, Principal of Sunderland College, added: "We have taken huge steps to support efficiency models through merger with Hartlepool Sixth Form College in August 2018 and our proposed merger with Northumberland College in 2019.

"We have responded to the needs of government to create larger and more resilient organisations. However, this alone is not enough.

"For the sector to continue to be a driving force in the development of a higher skilled workforce, colleges need to be able to invest in their people, resources and facilities. This is only possible through a more realistic funding mechanism that better supports colleges.

"We are fully in support of the Association of College’s campaign that reminds communities and those political influence of the vibrant, innovative and creative learning environment we create and the continued success in ensuring the skills of today and tomorrow are met."

Unions quote major employers in the region, who say their relationship with colleges is key to maintaining their workforce.

Stockton-on-Tees based car parts manufacturer Nifco, worked closely with local colleges. The firm’s General Manager of Engineering Andy Dunn said: "In our industry, we are seeing an increasing skills gap and one of the ways we are managing this is through grass roots training.

"To support this, we need colleges to continue to provide the incredible facilities they do, but this comes at a cost and they need increased financial backing to be able to deliver what industry needs."

Caroline Rowley, North East area director for the Association of Colleges, said: "It’s great to see so many colleges in the North East coming together and campaigning for a common goal.

"Colleges are critical to economic prosperity and do so much to improve the skills of the 2.2 million people learning in these institutions every day. But for colleges to continue to be able to provide outstanding provision, they need to be funded adequately."

The Government says it is "very aware" of the "pressures" on further education budgets, and that the base rate of funding has been protected.

Minister for Apprenticeships and Skills Anne Milton said: "Our colleges have a vital role to play in making sure people have the skills they need to get on in life.

"Our Further Education Colleges do a brilliant job and I would like to thank them for everything they do.

"We have protected the base rate of funding for 16-19 year olds until 2020. However I am very aware of the funding pressures. We are investing in the sector to support providers to deliver our gold standard T Levels from 2020, providing an additional £500m every year once they are fully rolled out.

"The Education Secretary has announced a further £38m so that colleges can invest in high quality equipment and facilities to support the roll out of T Levels.

"We will continue to look carefully at funding for the sector in preparation for the next Spending Review."